Articles
Former Club Castaway manager says she quit following dispute over queer performers
Bella Vendetta, who worked for Whately’s Club Castaway and planned to move forward with a line-up of queer and trans performers, said she left after three weeks following a dispute with ownership over those plans. “My original thoughts were sadness that it didn’t work...
Amherst Cinema series on new directions in movies gets prestigious grant
Amherst Cinema’s original film series, Bellwether: New Directions in Cinema recently received a $15,000 Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Amherst Cinema’s General Manager, George Myers, Pioneer Valley-based filmmaker Luke Meyer, and...
Editorial: Needless election tech — and the Iowa Caucus — need to go
In years past, there may have been times for me when the beginning of February was a time to look forward to the Super Bowl, or even the State of the Union with other presidents. This year, it was all about the Iowa caucus. After more than a year of anticipation, we...
Love Letter to a Nightmare
“I secretly believe that I am a goddess with very brief moments of incarnation,” Jennifer Johnson declares, robed in a long white shift, a pair of ram’s horns set on her head. She’s portraying – or perhaps channeling – Leonora Carrington, the free-spirited...
V-Spot: My long-distance partner doesn’t want video chat sex
Hi Yana, My partner and I are temporarily in a long-distance relationship and he’s expressed discomfort with video chat sex. It sounds like it’s mostly based in discomfort with being naked and vulnerable in front of a camera, feeling unsure about how to make...
Free Will Astrology: You don’t know more than Bohr, Pisces
ARIES (March 21-April 19): You now have the power to make connections that have not previously been possible. You can tap into an enhanced capacity to forge new alliances and strengthen your support system. I urge you to be on the lookout for a dynamic group effort...
Podcast: David Brule on River Stories series about local Native history and culture
David Brule, president of the Nolumbeka Project, based in Greenfield, speaks about a series focusing on Native Americans in the Valley. The series, which will consist of about a dozen events, is in part a response to this year’s Plymouth 400 observance, which is...
Burrie Jenkins on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
Burrie Jenkins plays folk rock on 12 string guitars mixed with world music influences. Check out his full Advocate Sessions performance in the video below. Interview with Burrie Jenkins:
Sign-Holding Stalwarts: A talk with some regulars at Northampton’s weekly anti-war protest
For past 20-plus years I would head to downtown Northampton to run errands on Saturday mornings and smile at the small group holding anti-war signs in front of the courthouse on Main Street. A few weeks ago, I decided to join them. I have joined many a protest in the...
Letters to the Editor: Gambling research already underway
Gambling research already underway In response to “Between the Lines: Problem gambling data collection is coming too late,” published Jan. 16-22, 2020. On January 15, 2020, the Valley Advocate published an editorial about the importance of problem gambling-related...
Staff Picks: LAVA Center Opening, Silver Chord Bowl, Vermont Crankie Fest, and Sierra Grille show
LAVA Center Grand Opening Weekend // FRIDAY to SUNDAY Greenfield welcomes a new performing space on Main Street this weekend. The LAVA Center, part black box theater, part art gallery, is opening with three days of activities to reflect the center’s community-oriented...
A flame in the midst of winter: Amherst Winter Fest theme this year is ‘fire and ice’
Hundreds of small flickering candles lighting paths to a live ice carving demo at sunset and a fire juggling event with acrobatics and a unicycle are just some of the things in store for this year’s Luminaria, which kicks off the week of Winter Fest Amherst on Feb. 1...
The other side of Plymouth Rock: River Stories series, highlighting the Valley’s Native population, is a counterpoint to Plymouth 400
Plymouth, Massachusetts, is gearing up for a big anniversary this year: It was in December 1620 that a group of English Puritans, who came to be known as the Pilgrims, landed on the shore of eastern Massachusetts and began to build a settlement that would eventually...
Editorial: The slow progress of East-West rail
With recent success in the expansion of North-South rail, in some ways it feels like there is momentum finally building for an East-West line. However, Gov. Charlie Baker seemed to throw some cold water on that last week during the opening of a handicapped-accessible...
Podcast: Chris Goudreau on local independent record labels
Writer Chris Goudreau wrote a recent piece on local independent record labels in the Valley. Those include Feeding Tube Records in Florence, Disques de Lapin in Brattleboro, and Rub Wrongways Records in Northampton. Listen here: You can hear more of the Valley...
Bizarro Briefs: Lost your thumb? Use your big toe
Lost your thumb? Use your big toe A British cobbler was distraught after a freak accident last year — his thumb was caught in some machinery and severed completely. The man thought his work as a cobbler, which he is passionate about, was over. Instead, he agreed to an...
Groundskeeper’s ‘Ghost Things’ combs the depths of the psyche
The charred remains of a building smolder in patches of fire as gray smoke drifts over autumnal treetops. That image is cut, and layered multiple times on top of one another for the album cover art of Ghost Things, by Northampton-based Americana-infused indie rock...
Cinemadope: The Short List
Ever since I was first introduced to the tiny hot dog, I have been an appetizer man. Those delectable little morsels — a bite or two at most — can contain a density of flavor that many full meals can only wish to attain. And while many are served ahead of an...
V-Spot: Not The Sex Life I Want
Hi Yana, I didn’t think this was a real problem or, that it was just me. I didn’t think about it until I got into an argument with my husband, when he said “Why don’t you have sex the way when you’re drunk, when you’re sober?!” I really never thought about it till...
Free Will Astrology: Time to be brassy, saucy, and sassy, Aries
ARIES (March 21-April 19): My favorite ancient Greek philosopher was the rascal Diogenes. As a joke, he carried around a lantern during the daytime, proclaiming, “I am just looking for an honest man.” When Alexander the Great, the most powerful man in the world, came...
Zoe Lemos on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
Zoe Lemos is a songwriter who plays punk charged indie rock with earworm melodies. You can find her Advocate Sessions performance in the video below. Interview with Zoe Lemos:
Letters to the editor: A note on gun terminology
A note on gun terminology In response to “A Loaded Topic: Pioneer Valley firearms community is active, but often hidden,” published January 16 – 22, 2020. I just read this article. It is an interesting way to introduce the topic to your readership which, I...
Bizarro Briefs: Robber in the Dark
Robber in the dark A man attempted to rob the Bank of Scotland last September armed with a meat cleaver and disguised by a pillowcase over his head — but he forgot to cut eye holes. The 47-year-old stormed into the bank and wielded the meat cleaver while wearing the...
Staff Picks: MLK Celebration, Sessa, musings on Thomas Paine, Pamela Means Jazz Project
‘We Shall Overcome: A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. // TUESDAY Music was a key part of the civil rights movement — African-American music in particular. To celebrate that music and the spirit and achievements of Martin Luther King Jr., the Fine Arts...
‘Get it, sell it, put everything together’: Local independent record labels in the Valley
The Valley is known for its rich array of musicians and bands, but as owners of the handful of local, independent record labels can tell you, there’s more to the local music scene. Labels in this area include Feeding Tube Records in Florence, Disques de Lapin in...
Editorial: We Can’t Afford To Let Them Divide Us
It was probably inevitable that — with so much at stake — the tone of the Democratic primary would ratchet up. Supporters of various candidates who believe in the vision of those candidates can look at the world, at the conditions that brought us President Donald...
Making a Comeback: A preview of Double JJ Presents shows coming up
John Joyce started booking local bands back in 1998 while he attended Westfield State. What started it all was his friends from college — who were in a band called The Infamous Shoeless Joe — had inquired if he could help get them shows in the area. He started booking...
Clueless Parent: Trying to Teach a 3-Year-Old About Justice
As I write this, it is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and I’ve just finished reading Dr. King’s 6,800-word “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” published in 1963 and written after being arrested for participating in one of his many nonviolent actions to further the cause of...
Cinemadope: Guy Ritchie returns to crime with The Gentlemen
There was a time, once, when British director Guy Ritchie was considered the across-the-pond reflection of Quentin Tarantino. The filmmaker who, four years after Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction and six after Reservoir Dogs, started pumping out stylish if patchy tales...
Podcast: Pete Redington on guns in the Valley
Writer Pete Redington talks about his recent article about gun owners in the Valley and about how people on opposite sides of the gun issue rarely speak to one another. Listen here: You can hear more of the Valley Advocate’s podcasts...
The V-Spot: How do I have a good threesome?
Hey Yana, It’s looking like a threesome is on the (close) horizon for me and my partner. I feel extremely secure in the relationship. I absolutely trust him and he’s been nothing but supportive of me and my feelings when the subject of threesomes has come up in the...
Free Will Astrology: Find a fellow genius, Aries
ARIES (March 21-April 19): German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) declared that English writer Lord Byron (1788–1824) was the greatest genius of the 19th century. Here’s an interesting coincidence: Byron regarded Goethe as the greatest genius of the 19th...
Shannon Liss-Riordan drops out of Mass. Senate primary, leaving only Markey and Kennedy
In a statement Friday, Shannon Liss-Riordan, a lawyer who made her reputation representing workers against large corporations like Uber and FedEx (and even her alma mater, Harvard), announced she would be dropping her candidacy for U.S. Senate. That leaves incumbent...
Rosie Porter and the Neon Moons on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
Rosie Porter and the Neon Moons play classic country and honky-tonk with a sentimental croon. Check out the band’s performance on the Valley Advocate Sessions stage. Interview with Rosie Porter:
Letters to the Editor: Responses to ROE
Responses to ROE In response to “With majorities in both Houses, ROE Act could expand abortion rights in Mass,” published January 9 – 15. Mr. Fieldman’s article “With majorities in both Houses, ROE Act could expand abortion rights in Mass” is an excellent and...
Staff Picks: Saturns Return, Black Refractions, Mary Jane Jones, a dictionary talk for word nerds
Saturns Return: An Immersive Movement Experience // FRIDAY The Root Cellar in Greenfield is hosting an event titled “Saturns Return: An Immersive Movement Experience,” which, according to the Facebook event, includes a hero’s journey, dancing, live music, advice for...
Swimming in drag theater
An Amherst theater company named Queer & Now will be combining drag performances, lip syncing to contemporary pop music, as well as dance, theater, and mythology from around the world this weekend at Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield. Queer...
A Loaded Topic: Pioneer Valley firearms community is active, but often hidden
The Conway Sportsman’s Club lies at the dead end of a quarter mile dirt driveway, a small cabin of a building flanked by a panoramic wooded hillside containing several shooting ranges, whose ridgeline separates the South and Bear River watersheds. At a shaded table...
Editorial: Problem gambling data collection is coming too late
In a spectacular example of closing the door after the horse has already run off, the city of Springfield now has a new program to collect data on problem gambling, also known as compulsive gambling — nearly a year and a half after the MGM Springfield Casino has...
Bizarro Briefs: Immigration Policies Make Vultures Puke
Immigration policies make vultures puke It’s not clear if they’re making a statement about the Trump administration’s immigration policies. But whatever the reason, a large group of vultures has been getting the drop, so to speak, on a U.S. Customs and Border...
Monte Belmonte Wines: Trump’s Next Assassination may be the European Wine Market
I wake up very early every morning and one of the first things I do is check my phone for New York Times push notifications to make sure Donald Trump hasn’t destroyed the world. As of my writing this, he hasn’t. But not for lack of trying. I got a push notification...
Cinemadope: Child’s Work
Ask most Americans when slavery ended, and you’ll likely hear something about the Civil War and Abe Lincoln. Ask them about the rest of the world, and you may be met by a blank stare. But the truth is that it continues on in our modern era, and that many of us,...
Stagestruck on the Road: Witches in Berkeley
With all the talk of “witch hunts” flying around these days, it probably wasn’t quite a coincidence that two shows I saw recently in Berkeley, Calif., are on that very topic. Not the trumped-up political kind of witch hunt, though, but real ones born of historical...
Podcast: Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa on the ROE Act and expansion of abortion rights
A co-sponsor of the ROE Act, aimed at expanding abortion rights in Massachusetts, Northampton state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa talks about the legislation, what it does, and how likely it might be to pass during this session. Sabadosa was one of the people who spoke to...
V Spot: How Long Do I Stay in My Marriage?
Yana, I’ve recently come to terms with the fact that I don’t want to be in my marriage anymore. One reason is that I’m going through a period of intense awakening — I’m connecting more deeply to my emotions and my body while also healing from childhood trauma. Part of...
Free Will Astrology: Be tenacious like Balzac, Taurus
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Comedian John Cleese has an insight I hope you’ll consider. He says, “It’s easier to do trivial things that are urgent than it is to do important things that are not urgent. It’s also easier to do little things we know we can do than to...
Steve Rodgers on the Valley Advocate Sessions Stage
Steve Rodgers is a singer-songwriter who plays Americana and indie folk with a dash of rock ‘n’ roll. Check out his full Advocate Sessions performance in the video below. Interview with Steve Rodgers:
Letters to the Editor: Clarifications about ranked-choice voting
Clarifications about ranked-choice voting In response to “Ranked-Choice Voting gaining speed in Mass,” published December 19-25, 2019. Thanks for your recent article about ranked choice voting (RCV). It’ll be a very important topic in Massachusetts in 2020, so it’s...
Staff Picks: Bodies in Motion, Kalliope Jones, Sodada, Lunar Brew, Montague open mic
Bodies in Motion Festival 2020 in Northampton // THURSDAY-SUNDAY For the second January in a row, the Bodies in Motion Festival brings a wide range of dance performances, workshops, residencies, and other artistic events to Northampton’s Community Arts Center at 33...
Bizarro Briefs Podcast: Man bites dog … while naked and on meth
Valley Advocate editor Dave Eisenstadter and Hits 94.3 host Trumpy talk about the week’s weird news in a podcast version of the Valley Advocate’s Bizarro Briefs section. Hear about a man biting a dog while on meth, a new CVS-receipt-based scarf, and a mystery nonhuman...
The Beerhunter: 2020 Brew Years Resolutions
Across America, the craft beer scene is fizzing with activity. Food and drink options have expanded at taprooms, many of which are finding ways of attracting a daytime crowd by showcasing new skills like coffee roasting. Craft maltsters are starting to get the...
Valley Show Girl: Howl at Lunar Brew
The first full moon of the new decade — the Wolf Moon — will start to howl at approximately 2:21 p.m. on Friday, January 10. Just so happens it’s also my birthday, maybe you’ll hear me howling at her from a distance wearing a crystal crown to welcome my 36th year on...
With majorities in both Houses, ROE Act could expand abortion rights in Mass
As the constitutional right to an abortion is threatened in various states and in the country as a whole, the Massachusetts Legislature may soon consider an expansion of abortion rights in the state. Massachusetts lacks a program to financially support individuals who...
Cinemadope: A Developing Story — the invention of a camera for the masses
Like most everyone with kids these days, I tried my best to capture a bit of the holiday magic this season. Photos, videos, the occasional audio recording — moments to share with far flung family who wouldn’t get to see Christmas morning, and memories to share with my...
Bizarro Briefs: Man bites dog … while naked and high on meth
Man bites dog … while naked and high on meth A man in Florida is facing several charges after he allegedly punched a deputy and then bit the ear of a K-9. He did it while he was buck naked, too, and apparently high on meth. According to police in Columbia County,...
Editorial: ‘The Moment We All Feared’
“The moment we all feared is likely upon us. An unstable President in way over his head, panicking, with all his experienced advisers having quit, and only the sycophantic amateurs remaining. Assassinating foreign leaders, announcing plans to bomb civilians. A...
Local activists participate in coal blockade aimed at shutting down NH facility
In the early hours of Friday, January 3, a group of protesters — some from the Pioneer Valley — blocked a train carrying 10,000 tons of coal by erecting a three-tiered scaffold on tracks in the town of Harvard. They blocked the train for over nine hours after...
Stagestruck: Theater in Motion
You’d think things would slow down after the hectic holidays, but no. The Cratchits are still picking at the Christmas leftovers and the Sugar Plum Fairy has barely taken off her toe shoes, when January blows onstage full of New Year promise. This month I’m looking...
Podcast: Chris Goudreau on Ranked-Choice Voting
Chris Goudreau recently wrote an Advocate cover story on the possibility that ranked-choice voting could be adopted in Massachusetts for the 2022 elections. He talks about both state and local efforts to pass the voting system. Listen here: You can hear more of the...E-Edition
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